Hoppers Do It Together
Strike Chaos Birtley Town may have been our final destination this weekend but it didn’t happen without hitches. First off, we had initially planned a trip to Wigan Athletic for their home game with Portsmouth. Train strikes put paid to that particular trip, so alternative plans needed to be made. I selected four local games…
Whickham Wanderers This weekend our wanderings took us to Whickham. No, not a spelling mistake and a long way from the Buckinghamshire-based team. Whickham is another team based up here in the northeast, just to the west of Gateshead. The town is located two miles southwest of Dunston, the scene of one of our most…
Consett and Match Fourteen miles to the southwest of Newcastle on the edge of the Northern Pennines, lies Consett, County Durham. This would be the scene for our next adventure in the northeast and what an adventure it turned out to be! Consett and the surrounding area have an abundance of coal, limestone and iron…
Heeding Out to Dunston Dunston is a small district on the western edge of the city of Gateshead, or the Heed as it’s known locally. It sits on the southern bank of the River Tyne and the Metrocentre is just over half a mile to the west. This is where we would be heading for…
The Importance of Coal Located fifteen miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne and three miles west of the North Sea coastline, Ashington is another northeast town built on coal. The heritage of this industry has left an indelible mark on the entire region and although now defunct, the communities that were built on it will…
Up in Them Thar Hills Following our rare midweek trip to Murrayfield (Hopper Tales #74), this weekend we were back to the Northern League and Tow Law Town FC. Tow Law, (pronounced ‘Ow!’ the same way as if you hit your thumb with a hammer and have an aversion to cursing) is a small town…
Off the Rails The third week of our new season, already and we were heading to Shildon, a small town in County Durham. Shildon is a town built on the back of the Industrial Revolution and in particular, the construction of the railways. To this end, Shildon is the home of the Locomotion Museum, which…
Week Two Following last week’s 2023/24 season opener at Newcastle Benfield, we carried on our exploration of the northeast with a visit to North Shields FC. North Shields is a small town on the banks of the River Tyne. It is part of the large sprawling urban area that stretches from the coast to Newcastle….
Close to Home Gateshead is just a forty-minute bus trip from home, so today was an easy Hop, and just as well! Friday night into Saturday morning was not a happy time in the Hopper household. Mrs Hopper has been suffering from a bad back for some while now. Last night, a particularly painful night…
Back Where It All Began While I have visited many grounds over the years, Victoria Park, Hartlepool, is where my groundhopping adventures officially began at the beginning of last year. Ironically, it was for the visit of Blackpool in the FA Cup 3rd Round in January and it would also be a Championship side visiting…